Note to self: yes, you CAN get hurt with hand tools

[Frederick Skelly]

Finally got my new LV carcass saw out of the box. She's filed rip. Cut the cheek(?) of that tenon very nicely. Then I decided to use her to cut the shoulder. I'll tell ya truly, that didn't work worth a darn. Don't know what I was thinking using a rip saw for a cross cut.

Especially when she jumped out of the cut and put a 1/4" deep gouge right through my thumbnail and on into the meat.

Probably coulda used 2 stitches but decided to tough it out. It hurts.

Fred

[Bruce Page]

Ouch! Hope it stops hurting soon.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Fred,

It's been a long time, but I have cut myself pretty good with a sharp hand saw years ago.

Stew

[Jim Koepke]

One has to be careful with a new tool.

Hope you heal well and soon.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys. Like most shop accidents, after the fact you wonder "what was I thinking?" Thankfully, this was minor. Still a good reminder though.

[Patrick Harper]

I'm always cutting my fingers with the sharp beveled edges of my chisels. After a bit of paring, I'll notice a bunch of paper-like-cuts on my index fingers from where I was guiding the chisel. You'd think I would have remembered to file the sides down by now.

[lowell holmes]

I'm sorry about the injury, but the saw should be able to crosscut. My dovetail saw has made many crosscuts.

I've cut myself, not to the extent you did, many times with saws and chisels. It has been a while though.

Your post serves us to remind us to use safety in the shop. I always use eye and hearing protection, but maybe a bit careless in other things.

[Zach Dillinger]

I almost lost the tip of my left pinky finger to a chisel (and my own ignorant ego). Thought I could balance a too-small blank of wood on end to split out a peg. I was wrong and stuck the thing in right at the fingertip joint. Very lucky to still have it. Chisels are the most dangerous shop tool in my opinion.

I'm always nicking myself, nothing too bad except for the above chisel incident and a brush with a sharp saw. You can count the TPI in an inch-long slice along my right pointer finger.

[Mel Fulks]

A most painful way to add a new "rule of thumb" to woodworking. Indulge yourself with light schedule and good pain killer.

[John Coloccia]

All of my woodworking related emergency room visits have been from hand tools....mostly chisels. I've been stitched up a number of time, to the point that one of the nurses recognized me. They always comment on how clean the cut is... "Looks like a scalpel! What did you cut yourself with?" And I just beam with pride.

[James Pallas]

The worst woodworking injuries I have had came from a coping saw and a chisel each requiring stitches. I have concluded that that muscle memory has no idea what to do once the tool is loose. Both injuries were my own doing, the coping saw was too much hurry up and the chisel was the usual wrong placement of the hand hold. I hope you heal quickly but those injuries have a way of keeping your attention for a while. Probably a good thing, gives you a reminder about sharp tools.
Jim

[Steve Meliza]

I have a scar on my left index finder to remind me that a bucksaw can skitter down a limb and hit the hand that is holding the work. I have a scar 1" from my left eye to remind me to not allow wood splitting wedges to mushroom and to wear eye protection even if you're not the person doing the work. No scars yet from power tools.

This is why Paul Sellers so frequently says that the reason for clamping his work in the vice is for safety. When you can get all of your body parts behind the tool your odds of getting hurt drop precipitously.

[Bill Baethke]

I have used a rip saw for shoulders. Making a knife wall helps make a clean cut and keeps the saw in place.

[Steve H Graham]

Thank you for not posting a photo.

[David Ragan]

Probably coulda used 2 stitches but decided to tough it out. It hurts.

Fred

Sometimes its just easier in the long run to have the stitches. Less hassle overall. Less bleeding/bandage changes/risk of infection, etc etc.